In a bolt from the blue, the Indian Air Force hit hard on the terrorist camps in Pakistan, destroying the terror launchpads in Chakoti, Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Pakistan has refused to accept any casualty, but according to top Indian govt. sources, at least more than 300 terrorists have been slayed in this mission.
But a new development has revealed that Pakistan was not only whacked but was also unable to retaliate against an attack of this scale. News agency ANI posted the following tweet:-
Sources: Pakistani F16s were scrambled to retaliate against IAF Mirage 2000s but turned back due to size of Indian formation. Western Air Command coordinated operation. pic.twitter.com/cCXndYNc1H
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2019
Yes, let that sink in. Pakistani F16 fighter jets, which are normally deployed for wartime operations, were used in retaliation to the attack launched by the Indian fighter jets. However, the sheer formation of the Indian squadron forced them to retreat. According to ANI, the Western Air Command oversaw the operation.
For those unaware, an Indian squadron of Mirage 2000 fighter jets had taken off from an undisclosed IAF base in the early morning. They dropped a huge cache of bombs worth 1000 kg over three terror launchpads in Chakoti, Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Terrorists hailing from Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba were slayed in this operation. According to CNN, at least 200-300 terrorists were killed in this unexpected attack.
This is not all. According to confirmed media reports, the control rooms of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the chief perpetrator behind the Pulwama attacks, has also been destroyed in this attack. Following are the reports confirmed by ANI:-
Sources: Balakot, Chakothi and Muzaffarabad terror launch pads across the LOC completely destroyed in IAF air strikes. JeM control rooms also destroyed pic.twitter.com/cSE0TjVsBS
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2019
This is no mean feat since India has struck the terror camps in Balakot, which is situated way deep into Pakistan, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So long story short, India has just delivered a living nightmare to the Islamic terrorists and their Pakistani backers.
Interestingly, Pakistan always thumps its chest about its so-called defence power, and threatened India with destructive retaliation should they even dare to attack their territory. However, the way their planes retreated in response to the Indian challenge signifies that Pakistani defence is all gas and no substance. We must congratulate Indian Air Force for not only destroying the terror camps, but also exposing the so-called bravado of Pakistan in no time.